SFU’s Shauna Sylvester to run as independent in Vancouver mayoral bid

Add another name to the list of contenders for the City of Vancouver’s top job. But this one is a little different: she’s the first independent to enter the race.

Simon Fraser University Centre for Dialogue executive director Shauna Sylvester will officially announce her bid for the city’s mayoralty on Thursday morning.

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Sylvester has worked with the university for 11 years; prior to that she served on the board of Vancity Credit Union, Mountain Equipment Co-Op and the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association.

That factor will be relevant; on Wednesday, Vision Vancouver said it may not run a mayoral candidate and that it could be open to throwing its support behind another progressive candidate. The Vancouver Green Party also hasn’t decided whether it will field a mayoral candidate.

If elected, Sylvester would also be Vancouver’s first female mayor. It’s a fact that hasn’t escaped her, but she said it isn’t her focus.

“It’s 130 years, we need a female mayor, it’s about time… but I don’t want voters to just vote for me because I’m a woman,” she said. “I want voters to vote for me because I am the most experienced candidate.”

Sylvester isn’t new to Vancouver municipal politics. While she hasn’t run for office before, she has been active with Vision Vancouver since its early days, serving as a former board member and was a founder of “Women in Vision.”

Sylvester said she “hasn’t been very active in the last four years,” and doesn’t think the public will associate her with the party’s baggage.

With her candidacy, Sylvester enters a field that has grown crowded — though largely on the right side of the political spectrum.